Homily: Monday of the 5th Week of Lent 2016 - Susanna, Jesus, and Us

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Today we have one of the longest First Readings that we have in the entire lectionary.  It is the 13^th Chapter, a long chapter, from the book of the Prophet Daniel.  It is almost 60 verses long.  It is the story of this beautiful, faithful woman, Susanna, who is falsely accused by two corrupt evil old men, who wanted to have their way with her.  Lying to protect themselves the two wicked elders seek to have Susanna put to death.

Then Daniel steps in, advocates for her: and the two corrupt judges were convicted and Susanna goes free.

As I mentioned last week, our scripture readings for the last part of Lent point not so much to Lenten penances that we are to undertake, but to Christ—they help us prepare to understand what happens as Jesus is arrested, tortured, put to death, and is raised.

How does the Susanna story point to Christ? Who is Christ in the story? In a sense he is Susanna: beautiful, faithful, innocent, arrested because of the words of corrupt elders.

And though he suffers humiliation, torture, revilement, mockery, suffering, and death, he is exonerated, and vindicated by God, as Susanna was by Daniel, when he is Resurrected.  His Father testifies on Christ’s behalf, as we heard in the Gospel, when Jesus is raised from the dead.

At the end of the first reading, we heard how “the whole assembly cried aloud, blessing God who saves those who hope in him.”  Not only is Jesus foreshadowed in the Susanna reading, but his body the Church as well.  We are that assembly who now cries out, blessing God who saves those who hope in him.

In the beautiful, and well-known responsorial Psalm, we proclaimed: “Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side”.  Susanna showed her fearlessness as she went through her dark valley, as she trusted in God. Jesus will show himself to be Fearless as he went through his dark valley, during the events of Holy Week. And we learn from their example, what it means to be people of hope.

This Lent should have toughed us up a bit, going into the desert should always do that. It should have toughened us up against the temptations of the flesh, which we resisted through our Lenten Penances. And it should also be strengthening our resolve that the same Spirit of Jesus who endures so much suffering, so much darkness, faithfully during Holy Week, dwells within us.

That no matter the darkness we face, we do so with Christ at our side, in our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.